At first it was the bubble tea craze that hit South Korea from the bubbly and milky shores of Taiwan, then came the aftershock with another popular bubble tea chain, Tiger Sugar. Tiger Sugar brought a whole new flavor of bubble tea that basically replaced all other flavors with a single franchise quake. We don’t need any other flavors of bubble tea anymore since the world has tasted their black sugar bubble tea. So, I’ll bet you’re wondering a few things right now…
What the heck is black sugar?
And… How is black sugar different from brown sugar?
Are they the same thing?
Good questions! I know you’re thinking them right now, because I too was once ignorant about these same questions… along with everyone else I have taken to Tiger Sugar. You’re in good company, so let’s dive into these questions.
Black Sugar
Let’s start with the bottom questions first. Black sugar and brown sugar are not the same thing. However, if you translate the words for black sugar from Korean, Japanese, or Taiwanese, you will get the words, brown sugar, returned right back to you. This makes things all the more confusing. I know. So, let’s just stick with what I stated above. Black sugar and brown sugar are NOT the same.
You will find black sugar used in certain parts of Asia. I know for a fact that I’ve come across it in Japan, but you will also see it in Taiwan. The relationship between these two countries is quite interesting, to say the least, but I’m not going to go into detail here in this article. With that being said, apparently black sugar is often used as a comfort food in Japan and Taiwan for women during their period, which is similar to Westerners eating chocolate or sweets.
I didn’t know this, but I was enlightened by Jodie’s Kitchen, which I have linked here. There is some good information about black sugar on Jodie’s Blog, so check it out!
If you’ve just checked out Jodie’s blog, then you’re probably already filled in, but I will describe further the important bits. Black sugar differs from brown sugar in: color, flavor, and processing method. The color of black sugar is almost black, but it’s more of a very deep, dark brown. The flavor I can vouch for myself. It is absolutely spectacular! It doesn’t have a unidimensional flavor like plain ol’ cane sugar, but has richer molasses flavor to it like brown sugar. Brown sugar and black sugar do have different flavor profiles, but I think this comes down to mostly the condensed nature of black sugar from the processing method and a difference in trace minerals, because both are made from molasses. To summarize, black sugar just has a more unprocessed and natural flavor to it. It’s more unrefined tasting, again, because of the “impurities,” which alter the flavor to make it taste something akin to ambrosia.
So, what does all of this have to do with today’s review? Well… everything really! Because Tom’s Farm has utilized the delicious and un-ultra-purified blocks of black sugar to create a mindsplosion of flavors in their Black Sugar Milk Tea Almond. (Yeah… not plural!)
Packaging:
This might not be the most entertaining label that Tom’s Farm has designed, but it’s always exciting to see what these wacky almonds are up to! One thing that I do like is the colors. Just by looking at this packaging, I can almost taste the sweet drank of black sugar bubble tea. There’s plenty of little bits of black sugar and a ton of bubble tea for these almonds to enjoy. There’s a giant glass of Black Sugar Milk Tea in the middle surrounded by the almonds themselves with black sugar cubes strung about. I like how they cleverly stacked black sugar cubes into a pyramidal formation to add some liquified black sugar to the glass. The design is more practical than it is hilarious, but I still like it.
Getting down to the details, there were exactly 11 almonds in this tiny 25 gram (.88 ounces) package. If you read my review of Tom’s Farm Cookies & Cream Almond, then you will know that package had only 9 almonds! Should I feel cheated by the Cookies & Cream package!? Probably not, because these are definitely being weighed by some expensive machine. The coating on the cookies & cream almonds was very, very thick. That’s dissimilar to the almonds found in this package. The coating is much thinner at around a half a centimeter thickness or so.
I should also reiterate what I said about the available sizes of these packages of almonds. There are a few sizes to choose from and if you find you really like a certain flavor, you can get larger sizes. I just used tiny packages for the sake of reviewing. (hehehe)
Flavor:
I’m not going to lie, I am very biased towards these beautiful little almonds. Tom’s Farm Black Sugar Milk Tea Almond is the best package of almonds in their lineup, in my opinion. I absolutely love the flavor of black sugar bubble tea, so it’s only natural that I would be a fiend for these almonds.
The black sugar and milk tea flavoring are spot on with these almonds. The slightly waxy texture of the coating helps to mimic a milky texture, which works in tandem with the milk tea flavoring. The black sugar isn’t overly sweet either. It’s balanced quite well with the flavor of the milk tea. However, black sugar isn’t really all that sweet anyways. It has a more balanced mineral-like flavor. As I mentioned above, the candy coating is a bit thinner as well, so you can really taste the almonds after the initial kick of sweetness. Honestly, the sweet flavor of black sugar and milk tea are the perfect companions to the flavor of almonds. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try them. Go ahead!
Aroma:
There’s not a whole lot to say about the aroma of these nuts. No almond could possible be smelled through the thick candy coating. This coating is thinner than Cookies & Cream Almond, and as hard as I snorted (I might have lost a few to my lungs), I couldn’t manage to catch a “whimps” (whiff + glimpse) of almond. There is a strong milk tea aroma with a slight black sugar smell to the candy coating. It smells like Black Sugar Bubble Tea from Tiger Sugar, but it’s every so slightly different. Overall, these smell good enough to eat!
Verdict:
You probably already guessed what my verdict is going to be about Tom’s Farm Black Sugar Milk Tea Almond…
These bad boys are the ultimate almond flavor combination. They are mind-meltingly delicious! I will seriously be shocked if there’s even a single person on planet Earth that doesn’t like these almonds. Although, now that I think about it, I’m sure that not everyone likes almonds… Well, you might like almonds after trying these, as long as you aren’t allergic! You will be stunned by the almighty flavor of black sugar milk tea and crush an entire package in a single sitting. I can’t get enough of Tom’s Farm Black Sugar Milk Tea Almond, so I’m one-hundred percent sure you won’t be able to resist them either!
Are you an absolute fiend for black sugar bubble tea, like me? Have you visited your local Tiger Sugar? Let me know in the comments! I can’t wait to hear from you!
If you’re interested in hearing more about Korean snack nuts or instant ramen, check out my on-going series, Noodle Story: An Exploration of Korean Instant Noodles and my other series, I Think I’m Going Nuts: An Eyeful of South Korea’s Little Snack Nuts, here on Medium.
